Electric-motor time-controller.



sterZHaZZ C. I. HALL. ELECTRIC MOTOR TIME CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION r1150 OCT-10.1911.

1 ,1 58,682. Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C. I. HALL.

ELECTRIC MOTOR TIME CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION HLE'D 10'CI. T0 I911.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHESTER I. HALL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO CHICAGO ELECTRIC METER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHESTER I. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Motor Time Controllers, of which the following is' a full,

clear, concise, and exact description, refer ence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part oftliisspecification.

My invention relates'toan improved form of time controlling niecliani sm' for ,use' in connection with measuring instruments by which an electric motor is employed toactuate at recurring intervals a portion of the measuring instrument previously displaced in connection with a ni'easuringoperation.

More specifically, as shown-in the accompanying drawings and specification, my invention consists in the combination of an alternating currentelectric motorand an electric measuring nstrument for indicating the maximum consumption.of electric en- 'ergy during'any'one'of a number of recur-v ring time intervals.

7 The motor is adapted by means of suitable establishes a proper starting relation of the parts for thenext interval without, how-i ever, returning to zero the pointer indicating the maximum consumption of electricity' for] any previous interval. The solenoid thus energized also moves to its operating position a weight whichservesfto supply the -nece'ssary driving, force for 3 rotating the,

mechanism of the max mum ndicator-as such operation is permitted by the operation of thefelectric measuring instrument usedto' measure the total electricityconsumed. 3 t

vention are as follows:

indicator complete. Fig. 2 shows a top view of the actuating mechanism of the maximum a indicator and also shows diagrammaticallyits relation tdfthe'met'ering mechanisniand" the "circuit connections employed for control.- I

ling its operation-T [Fig.i3'is aview otfapart of the'inechanism shownin Fig. 2, said view Specification of Letters Patent.

along the line 55 in Fig, 3..

Thes v al rawing u r t n y; 1 a ,v a, v a f, solenoid 24 ,'mo,unted upontheback plate 17 Figure 1 shows in elevationgniy max mum;-

Fig. 2, said view"being taken-alongthe line 4 -4. I +ig."5 isfa icentral=-longitudinal sectional View through the pointer shaft of the maximum indicator, such View being taken Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915. Application filed October 10, 1911. Serial No. 653,862

' As shown in Fig. 1, the maximumindicator comprises a front plate l, provided with acii'cular dial'gi'aduated-to .coiipei'ate with an ndicating pointer 2 supported on a I shaft 3. Smaller circular dials 4, '5, 6, 7 are provided to indicate the quantity of electricity consumed while the pointer 2 serves to indicate the maximum quantity consumed forany one of a plurality of recurring time intervals.

The mechanism of the measuring instrument employed for driving the. point.

ers connectedv with the dials-4', 5,5'6fand 7 is contained inia casing 8 locat ed back Of;i3l18-- mfiXlIl'lllIIl indicator and since this mecha- 'iiism may be of anystandard make and underside-ofwhich a spring 10 rests, The

collar 9 has projecting from its inner end a pin 11 adapted to be'engaged by 'a pin 12 projecting'o'utward froma' collar 13 secured a t i niend f. haft awni hshaft i I supported in, a .sleeve' '1 5. and a bracket 16: secured tothe'back plate 17;;ofthe maximum 5 indicator. y The shaftQHhas secured to its frear, end a sleeve 18 ,avhich carries a. spur I gear 19 within thev bracket lfi whichgear is; engaged by, a circular rack 20 mounted to slide in a bracket 2;1 supported from,the z; bracket 16, The upper end of .therack 20- is scui-edpreferably in'a rigidn annerby a, fbar 22tto the uppe yend ofja-p1unger23 of a of the maximum indicator. The inner end,- 0f t s eve 18 ar e .rat1 t-,wh .25;

engaged by a pawl 26 lpivo te dfto a gear 27 i carried by "thefrear end of thefsleeve 1 5. I 'The front end ofithe' sleeve 15 has secured thereto a pinion. 28,,which serves to drive, the a gear trainfconnectin'g the shafts 29,,30, 31v 1 and 32 which carii v thepointers disposedlin thclfrontiof tlie dials 5, 4,6 and 7WIGSPBC- 'tivelyl' The bracket 16 also constitutes a lie its

bearing for the front end of a shaft 33 driven by the moving devices of the electric measuring instrument, whose operation is registered on the dials 4, 5, 6 and 7, this hearing being above the bearing of the rear end of the shaft 14. The shaft 33 has rigidly secured thereto a pinion 34 which meshes with a gear 35 supported by a bracket 36 from the back plate 17 of the maximum indicator. The front end of the spindle 37 supporting the gear 35 carries a radially projecting arm 38 which engages a crank arm 39 secured to the rear end of a shaft 40 rotatably supported by the bracket 16 and the back plate 17. The shaft 40 has rigidly secured thereto a gear 41 meshing with the gear'27;

As a result of the construction described it will appear that as the shaft 33 is rotated under the action of the devices employed to measure the electricity 'used, the pointers secured to the shafts 29, 30, 31 and 32 are rotated to register the amount registered and at the same time, as a result'of the cooperation between the pins 11 and 12, the

, pointer 2 at the beginning of the operation of the measuring instrument .'is rotated around to the left asseen' in Fig. 1 to a position as shown, for example, in dotted lines. It will further be noticed that, as-

' suming the plunger 23 of the solenoid 24 to occupy the position indicated in Fig. 3, the combined weight of the plunger-and rack 20. acting upon the inion 19 will tend torotate'the gearing in adirection to roduce the advance just described. he

weight of the plunger 23-and the rack 20,

however, is so taken that it will not of itself rotate all of the mechanism, but will serve to nearly overcome friction of all of the moving parts,-thus relieving the measuring instrument of the load it would otherwise be required to carry. At. the end of each of the regularly recurrin intervals the solenoid 24 is energized an the plunger23 is raised. At this. time the ratchet wheel 25 v slips by-the pawl 26 and the plunger and rack. 20 are moved 'to their upper position to be operative to assistin'. driving the gearing. At the same time the shaft 14 is positively rotated away from the pin IIsoas to return the pin 12 to itsinitial position i without, however, disturbinglthe pointer2 which is left 'in the'pos ition' to wh ch it has beenadvanced by the operation ofthe measuring instrument during the time antervalj just terminated.

Y The solenoid 24 has its-terminals connected by wires-42 and 43:,with contacts 44 and 45 respectively, 'a battery 46 bein" inserted in the ,wire143. .The free end of t e contact 44.rests upon a 'cam 47 so conformed that as the cam rotates,- the contact isremoved from engagement with the contact 45 exec t when the contact 44. passes over 'the' s oulder formed on the cam 47, at which the contact 44 springs downward into engagement with the contact 45, thus making a circuit from the battery 46 through the wires 42 and 43 and energizing the solenoid 24. The cam 47 is secured to a Worm wheel 48 engaged by a worm 49 carried by the shaft 50 of a constant speed motor 51, the terminals of which are connected. with main feeders 52 and 53 as indicated. The constant speed of the motor 51 may be secured in a variety of ways, the only requirement being that the speed of the motor is determined by the quantity maintained constant on theline, for example, the current may be maintained constant, in which case the motor 51 would be of a type .whose speed is determined by the current flowing through its winding or again, the potential on the line 5253 might be maintained constant, in which case the motor would be of a type adapted to run at the constant speed for a constant potential upon the line. For alternating current'circuits, the motor would be preferably synchronous or an induction motor as preferredyand in either case the speed would be determined by the frequency and would therefore be constant as long as the fre quency of the alternations is maintained constant. In carrying out my invention on alternating current circuits, I prefer to emplo a-motor of the induction type as it is sel starting. and would therefore operate properly if for any reason the current were temporarily out off from'the main feeders.

As a result of the construction described, the cam 47 is rotated ata constant speed and therefore the contacts 44and 45 are periodically brought into engagement with each other, which results in a corresponding, energiza-tion of the solenoid 24. The pointer 2 will therefore indicate the maximum consumption. ofelectricity as measured by the measuring device driving the shaft 33 for any one'of the intervals determined by the operation of the motor 51. It is apparent 'thatthe intervals between closures .of the "circuit through the battery'46 may be made of any: desired length by using proper earin y fi' g't 'maximumgconsumption' of electricity, the combination of a -measurin'g' instrument, a device controlled by the measuringyinstrninent so that-itioperates proportionally to jthe elect ricity measured, me-ans for returning-said device to its'initial position, an "indicator driven by said device and remaining in a 'position to which it is advanced when the latter is returned to its initial position, and a constant speed motor for periodically causing the operation of the returning means, the returning means serving in part to drive said device and indicator.

2. In combination, a measuring instrument comprising an indicator, mechanism for actuating the indicator, a device for.

periodically restoring and subsequently aiding the actuation of the mechanism, and a constant speed motor for causing the opera tion of the device at recurring intervals.

3. In a measuring instrument, the combination with integrating mechanism, of an indicator for registering the amount of operation of the mechanism, devices for advancing the indicator, a- Weight tending to advance such devices, and means for simultaneously returning said devices to their initial position and raising said weight.

' l. In a measuring instrument, the combination with integrating mechanism, of an indicator'for registering the amount of operation of the mechanism, devices for adx vancing the indicator, and gearing for returning said devices to their initial position and tending at other times to advance said devices. v

5. In a measuring instrument, the combination with integrating mechanism, of an indicator for registering the amount of operation of the mechanism, devices for advancing the ind1cator, a rack and"pinion' for returning said devices to their initial position, and a weight'associated with the rack and -raised when the rack ismo-ved to return the devices to their initial position, said weight tending during operating intervals of said devices to cause their advance.v

6. In a measuring instrument, the combination with integrating mechanism, of an indicator for registering the amount'of op eration of the mechanism, devices for advancing the indicator, a rack and pinion for returning said devices to their initial position, a solenoid plunger connected with the I rack and "ertically movable, and a solenoid adapted when energized to move the plunger to its upper position to return said devices to their initial position by means of the rack.

7. In a measuring instrument, the combination with integrating mechanism, of an indicator for registering the amount of operation of the mechanism, devices for advancin'g the indicator, a rack and pinion for returning said devices to their initial position, av solenoid plunger connected with the rack and vertically movable, and a solenoid adapted when energized to move the plunger to itsupper position to return said devices to theirinitial position by means of the rack, the weight of the plunger tending to advance said devices by means of the rack when the solenoid is denergized.

8. In a system for registering the maximum consumption of electricity, the combination of a measuring instrument, a device controlled by the measuring instrument so that it operates proportionally to the electricity measured, means for returning said device to its initial position, an indicator drlven by sald device and remaimng in a position to which 1t is advanced when the latter is returned to its initial position, and means for periodically causing the operation my name this 5th. day of October, A. 1).,

CHESTER I. HALL.

Witnesses; I

ALBERT C. BELL, LEONARD E. Boennn.

Gopfesof this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

Washingtom'D. C. 

